Kotor- The brave's tale
by Lady Chey
Summary: My fanfiction for Kotor's storyline. Carth and fem Revan romance. Redoing my old story for the sake of my sanity. M for later chapters. I own nothing of the characters or anything far wars.
1. Chapter 1

The first sense to come back to her was sound, a low humming. More like a buzzing, with the occasional crack or pop that made her want to flinch. Next was the smell. Mold? Mildew? Or was it just the staleness of the air? It felt like someone hadn't opened a window or turned on the air filter in a while.

Then the headache pulsed through her skull, every blood vessel in the top right side of her head seeming to spasm all at once. Her body lurched upward into a sitting position, her head spinning with the movement before throbbing again. "Frack me... Five bottles of Titharr feels better than this..." She hissed, cradling her head with the palm of her hand.

"Good to see you up."

The deep voice made her flinch, shifting against the wall, pushing herself away from the sound. Her eyes locking on the tall figure a few feet away "-instead of thrashing about in your sleep...". The man bit the inside of his cheek, his dark brown eyes scanning her over as if she was a tense animal. He was worried though, her instincts had kept her alive during the attack on the Endar Spire, there was no telling what she would do when she felt threatened. He wouldn't make a comment like that though. He took a small step forward, tilting his head so she might see his face better. "You must have been having one hell of a nightmare, I was wondering if you were ever going to wake up."

Her eyes narrowed at him, though not in an aggressive manner that he had seen before over monitors. Instead this was a more thoughtful look, still no more trusting. Her expression made his breath stick in his throat. Her eyes had an inner ring of silver surrounded by teal blue. He took a deep breath to remember his course of thought.

"I'm Carth, one of the Republic soldiers from the Endar Spire. I was with you on the escape pod, do you remember?"

She blinked for a minute and her confused face fell. "That's.. right... Right I'm Mira Rayshild. How did I get here?" She winced again, her palm pressing harder against her forehead. "I- I had a strange dream... Like a Vision or something..." Mira said softly. She gently brushed her bangs back, the soft brown hair bouncing back into place in soft curls against her forehead.

Carth's face softened considerably, almost an identifiable smile creeping to the corners of his lips. He stood straight and walked to the small kitchenet that paired off to the side of the entrance door. Taking a rag from the not so clean counter, he ran cool water over it. "I'm not surprised. You took a serious blow to the head. You're probably having all kinds of strange dreams." He squeezed the excess water out of the rag and walked back to her, offering the cool cloth to her. Mira took it gingerly and slowly pressed it to her head. Letting out a slow hiss as she did so.

"I wouldn't worry about it." He smiled reassuringly. "And you've been drifting in and out of consciousness for a couple of days now. So It's not surprising you're pretty confused about things. Try not to worry. We're safe... at least for the moment."

Mira nodded and swung her legs off the bed, scooting forward to stand up. Carth's arms shot out as she leaned back and fourth. "Woah there… Take it easy." He kept a hand on her shoulder as she steadied. "I'm good… I'm good." She smiled stiffly, still holding the cool rag to her head. "Just update me on the situation." Carth nodded, still keeping his hand firmly on her shoulder in case she swayed once more.

"We're on a sith quarantined planet, Taris. I managed to get us away from the escape pod crash without much notice, But we still have some major problems." Mira arched a brow at him curiously. "Not only being under sith Quarenteen, the sith have delcared martial law, their fleet is orbiting the planet and there is no transport on or off the planet without sith approval." Mira's nose scrunched up, her face falling into a scowl.

"Oh is that all?" she quipped, shaking her head as she stepped forward to the small table in the middle of the room. Surrounded by a few small chairs that looked like they might not even hold up her small frame. Despite her caution she sat down and put the cloth down so she could begin to gently detangle her curly brown hair with her fingers. Carth shrugged "I've been in worse spots."

Mira let out a short scoff, trying to avoid pulling hair that would affect the pained area of her head. "Worse spots? Don't tell me you're going to make it hard to get off this planet." When she was mostly pleased with the detanglement of her hair she started braiding it down the back of her head and over her shoulder, shaking the shorter strands of her bangs free to frame her face once more in curls against her cheeks.

Carth slightly smirked at her remark and shook his head, moving across from her at the table. "That's not all. As much as I would like to get off this planet as soon as possible… Theres a mission we got to complete first. Bastila Shan was on the Endar Spire. She's the best hope for the republic war effort. And all things considered, the sith must have learned she was on our flagship and left an ambush for us."

"Bastila…. The jedi extraordinaire. I heard about her." Mira mumbled, trying off her hair and leaning back in her chair, closing her eyes.

"That smack to your head must have done more damage then I thought." Mira opened one eyes to peer at him. "Bastila was a part of the strike force that killed Darth Revan, Malaks sith master. Without her we are pretty much screwed." Mira nodded lazily, rubbing her forehead. "I get it I get it. So where do we start looking for miss perfect?"

Carth sighed at Bastila's apparent nickname. This girl had an amazing service record. Her skills and traits he had read about made her an ideal recruit and incredibly useful to get them off of this planet…. But he wondered about her personality. Was she someone he could trust to actually get them off this planet? Or was she in it to get off this planet by herself? He would simply have to hope his judgment would go well.

"I did some scouting around while you were unconscious. I've heard that some more escape pods fell into the undercity on Taris. if I'm correct, Bastila must be on one of those pods. At least we can hope." Carth exhaled deeply and watched for Mira's response, his big brown eyes almost pleading.

Mira peeked her eyes open once more, momentarily getting caught up in his big brown eyes. No one should have such big deep pretty eyes. She let out a small groan. "Under city? do we have to go right now?" Carth smirked a bit, shrugging his shoulders. She let out another small groan. "alright…. lets scrung up some food, then I'll help in scouting out a few more rumors before we make our way down."

Carth smiled and nodded. "Great! There's a cantina in the area."

Mira nodded. "That's perfect for listening for rumors as well. good choice Onasi." She smiled a bit, standing up to get herself ready and decent clothing wise. "Call me Carth." he said, bringing a brighter and more relaxed smile to her face.


	2. Chapter 2

Authors note-

Being a fanfiction there are a few details I would like to edit for the sake of the story, I still claim no ownership of the characters or anything of StarWars. One of the few things I'll be changing is Carth's age, it's one thing I can never calculate well on the wookiepedia so I always assume his age to be about 34 if he had dustil at 18. And by the way that brat acts I would assume he is still a teenager when he is found. Depending how my inspiration sparks I may tweek a few things later. But for now I hope you all enjoy! :)

After a brief scuffle in the hall outside their newly claimed base, Carth and Mira wandered out into the main street, headed for the cantina Carth had mentioned earlier. Mira's caught sight of the crash pod though, causing her to stop dead in her tracks. Carth stopped too, thinking she would probably want to see it eventually. He didn't like standing there in the open with her staring slack jawed at the pod, but there wasn't much else he would do.

The thing was still smoking! Mira's brows furrowed as she looked over the pod from a distance, trying to evaluate the damage that had been done to it. The hull was badly damaged, the entrance panel to it hanging off by one bolt. Either Carth had smashed their way out or they had nearly been propelled out by the air pressure. The thought of being thrown from the escape pod to burn in a free fall to Taris' surface made her shudder. It also brought back a flash of memory.

_Loud beeping, a roaring rumble surrounding her, making her feet shake on the metal grate that acted as a floor. A glance out the view port gave way only to flame. Her heart lurched up in her throat in fear, wondering if this would be her last moments. A grunt from in front of her made her look at the man that had accompanied her, his dark eyes focused on the clasp that held her straps in place. It jiggled a bit more while the pod shook, and came apart with a barely audiable click. "Hey-!" The man gasped, leaning forward as if his arms could stretch across the pod to grab her, or her harness straps. Her hands were already locked on the two clips, struggling to get them at the right angle to snap them back into place. Before she could though, the pod jerked, launching her straight up from her seat, her head slamming into the metal above her. "Mira!" Before she could respond, her sight faded and everything went silent. _

"Mira?" Carth gently put a hand on her shoulder, pulling her back into reality. Her mouth snapped shut and she looked at him, easily depicting what she had just remembered to him through just her shocked irisis. Carth swallowed and nodded, lowering his voice for only her ears. "I'm just glad you're so small, I may not have been able to grab you and drag you out. Though I'd much rather be a sith's target dummy than leave anyone behind." He moved his hand to her back, just to push her forward to get her moving once more. She lowered her eyes to the ground and mumbled a 'thank you'.

"You're welcome. I've never left a fellow soldier behind and I don't intend to start."

This made Mira smile a bit. From what she could tell, Carth Onasi was a very noble man. In his own way. He seemed very loyal and determined, not to mention honest. She remembered Trask mentioning how great of a man he was, babbling on about the great Onasi while she fought to unlock doors and grab med packs. But standing next to him, knowing she owed him her life, knowing that he truly seemed like a man with heart of gold, she couldn't blame Trask.

"Say Carth…" Mira said quietly as they entered the Cantina. "Yes? What's on your mind" He mumbled, looking around the Cantina curiously, seeing no reason immediately to run out. It actually seemed like an okay place… for now.

Mira also looked around, entwining her fingers in front of her in a more ladylike way, her scout uniform not being much for wear. She had to make a mental note of getting more clothes at that shop they passed by. Carth Immediatly started scouting out for food, Mira following close behind. "I'd like to know more about you, Carth." She said politely, smiling at him when he peered at her over his shoulder. One of the rooms to the side of the main hub of the cantina was obviously a small resturaunt and bar, a table in the back corner free for their taking. He waited only until they sat down before finally responding.

"Well… I've been a star pilot wiht the republic fleet for years… I was even in the mandalorian wars before all this sith mess started. I gotta say, at least the mandalorians weren't as senseless and blood thirsty as these sith." Carth kept his head low, his voice quiet despite the noise of the cantina. Mira listened carefully, only stopping him for a moment when their waiter came, offering them the list of drinks and taking their orders before rushing off once more. She nodded for him to continue, showing as much interest as a child during story time.

"My homeworld… it was one of the first planets to fall to Malak's fleet. The sith bombed it into submission.. and there wasn't a Damn thing our republic forces could do to stop them!" Carths fist banged on the table, not much for attention. From a bystander's view, he only looked like a man who had a bad day. Not an unusal sight on Taris apparently with the blockade. Mira leaned back a bit and dug her nails into her palms, wishing the conversation had not turned this way.

"I'm sorry Carth… this must be very painful for you-"

"I'm just a soldier; I go where the fleet admirals tell me to. I follow my orders and I do my Duty. It just…." Carth's jaw twitched, almost in anger. His eyes fixed on a point on the far end of the table and he sighed. "Doesn't seem right that doing that means I failed them! I didn't!"

Mira stretched her hands across the table, not touching him but hopefully blocking his fix point on the table, hoping to regain his attention on her. "I'm sorry Carth…. I didn't mean to upset you!" she said, worry leaking into her blue eyes.

Carth paused, his breath stopping for a second as he looked at her once more. "I… I know… It's just…. I must not be making much sense. Sorry. I know you mean well with your questions but I'm not used to answering." He rubbed the back of his neck, looking down again. "I'm used to taking action so… can we just eat our food and move on? If you must, ask your questions later." He said, finishing in a rush as the waiter returned with their food. Mira nodded quickly, and attended to her growling stomach.

After they had eaten, Mira suggested they spread out across the cantina and see what they could hear for themselves, then meet back in the restaurant to go over what they got. The scout noticed a few things, a con artist in the music lounge. A young sith woman by the door, looking incredibly bored and out on her luck. Another young sith man named Yun, who apparently had trouble keeping his eyes in their sockets. And finally the dueling arena, which Mira stopped for a moment to watch a pitiful match.

Ever more curious, Mira wandered over to the Hutt in the far side of the duelist's corner, folding her arms behind her back as she walked up to him.

"Betting is over little girl, leave me be to count my winnings." The Hutt grumbled, looking her over with a glance and ignoring her right after. Her eyes narrowed in irritation. So far hunting for information had been a dud, so hunting for credits would have to be her next move.

"I'm not here for betting, I am here to register for a duel." she said, earning a chuckle from the Hutt. "And who are you to go into the ring? A pipsqueak like yourself." The Hutt chortled, seeming even more amused by her serious expression. This time he looked her over more carefully, debating her height and build. "Perhaps you might prove to be an opponent in the ring… what would we call you? Prey perhaps?" He chortled, earning a scowl from Mira.

"I have 100 credits for registry, call me what you want but get me into the ring. I expect to see some earnings for fresh blood. Wouldn't you agree? People might start flocking with a new duelist, with this quarantine blocking much of anyone else coming in." Mira arched an eyebrow, finally getting the Hutt to stop jiggling with laughter long enough to hear her out. He pondered this for a moment, licking his slimey lips in thought.

"Very well…. you will be called, Mysterious stranger. For you are a mysterious young lass, and a stranger to Taris at that. It may perk some interest of the viewers." The hutt finally agreed, seeming unsure of his choice. "Your match will begin in twenty minutes. Be in the ring by then or you will not duel here again."

Mira smiled, giving the Hutt and elegant bow before trotting off to the corner of the room, avoiding the other duelists while she calmed herself for a match. Hopefully Carth would still be looking for something before she finished….


	3. Chapter 3

Stepping into the arena, the artificial lights blinded her, making her block the light with her arm as the roar of the crowd erupted into her ears. Though the sound was not that of a cheering excited crowd, it was a call for blood. The people of Taris were obviously stressed and hateful, a planet lockd own would do that to any citizen. But being unable to take it out on the sith left it to the poor saps who were good with a weapon to entertain the people.

'Deadeye' Duncan stepped into the ring the same time as her, drawing attention to himself by jumping up and down, waving his arms and pumping his fists as though he could lift the blocade with his bare hands. The crowd went wild with cries for violence and boos. The announcer slightly quieted them, a low grumbling sound barely audiable over the crowd from where she stood. The most she really heard was "Mysterious stranger" and "deadeye Duncan!" then the gong rang, signaling the beginning of the match.

Carth stood from his Pazzack game, grinning widely at the man who had just been cleaned out. The players were obviously upset, but Nobels that wouldn't stand up to someone who had the guts to cheat. Carth hadn't cheated, but it was still nice to walk out of the room without someone yelling at him.

'Where'd she go?' His dark brown eyes scanned the main hub, wondering if she would have grabbed a seat if she was done for now. But the little brunette was no where to be found. Wandering about, he scanned each room continuing in the circle from where they had started. The last room he had yet to stop in was fairly large, and everyone in it was huddled around whatever monitor they could.

"She's dodging each blaster bolt!"

"Man she's fast!"

"I don't think Duncan has a blade on him…. if she gets any closer he's done!"

"Woah man!"

Carth, being the nosey bugger he was, stepped up to the nearest monitor, thankful that there was only one other person using it. The sight he saw though, made him want to shudder. There was Mira, running dangerously fast and dodging blaster bolts like they were nothing. Her arms and legs had a few burns from Duncans rapid firing, but she was hell bent to reach him one way or another. And she did.

Her swings were long and deadly, the blade barely visible only by the glimmer of the metal. Her feet work was smooth and sure, she looked like she had dueled with a blade all her life. Carth knew she was good, just not this good.

It didn't take long for Duncan to fall, leaving the crowd in a screaming uproar of excitement for the new victor. Even the veiwers cheered to the screens, gabbing away about the new duelist and how she might be of some good entertainment.

Carth's hands started slightly shaking with the thought of "a new duelist". They didn't have time to cut down people in cold blood for a show. What was Mira thinking? He turned away from the monitor before the announcer started speaking, waiting by the entry way for Mira to return.

She was sore, for a good reason. The bolts had been made not to kill, but that didn't mean they didnt hurt. But she was still excited, the rush of the fight keeping her energized as she returned to the duelist's hall, immediately turning the corner around the Rodian towards the Hutt. With a lot of grumbling he handed over her pay, making her even more happy. She missed the thrill of a fight, the surge of blood through her limbs, the overly focused senses on the opponent. This was a fight that left her with credits in her pocket and her muscles well excersised without actually killing someone..

Heading towards the exit she stopped when she saw the lone tall figure awaiting her, those dark brown eyes burrowing into her blue ones. He did not look too pleased. But her elated mood couldnt' let her be bothered by it. Why would he be upset? She had just earned them two more weeks worth of credits for food!

Not letting his gaze phase her, she strode up to him, waving the credit chips in the air. "You want a drink?" she called, sauntering up to him with the biggest smile he had seen yet. This just bothered him even more.

"Are you alright?! What in the seven hells were you thinking?" he snapped, keeping his voice low. "We have a low profile to keep, not to mention bludgering up old men isnt exactly the best way to get a paycheck you- you!" Mira slapped a credit chip on his face, blocking his mouth before he could say something he would most definitely regret later. If he had seen her fight, he knew she had skills. But there was no telling he knew or not if she would use them on him.

"I got us credits in an honorable duel so that we can get supplies and food… Since finding our girl is apparently going to take a while. Unless you found some more useful information on checking out the undercity?" her smile wore into thin striaght line, already knowing his response. His eyes drifted to the side, looking frustrated. "No? or maybe even just getting to the lower city for a start? that would even be of some help." She moved into his line of site, demanding he give her a nod yes or no. He looked the other way, looking now not only frustrated, but put out as well. So much for his lecture. "Oh not even a way to the undercity huh? So maybe while you were wasting your time did you manage to get us some credits for supplies?"

Carth's face slowly started to turn pink. Frustrated, embarassed, and not knowing what to say to her. "Oh and I didn't just kill a little old man, The area has everything set to stun to avoid deaths since deathmatches are illegal on Taris. But that's something else you didnt' bother to figure out too hmm?" His jaw clenched and he sighed "Alright alright, That makes sense I guess… I guess I shouldn't have jumped to conclu-"

"I thought so. Come on I'd like to buy some supplies and see about a medic for these scratches." She huffed, charging past him towards the exit. Carth sighed, his frustration fading with watching her go. He hurried to catch up to her and rubbed the back of his neck uneasily. "Look Mira…"

"What?" Her tone was indifferent, but obviously in no mood to hear his voice. Ungrateful bantha… who was he to judge her for getting them credits that would help their asses? He lightly touched her shoulder, making her glare at him "Look I'm sorry alright? I guess…. I guess I was just worried. Thank you. For doing that. You're right we do need the credits I just don't want you getting hurt especially right after the crash." He said, thankfullenough that she was walking so fast to get them out of the cantina and out into the cool air. "That and I'm frustrated. We need Bastila and soon… the longer we go without her the longer the Republic goes without it's main asset. And the more people die…" Carth lowered his head, and Mira came to a stop.

"Thanks for understanding Carth." she said, though it was still a bit stiff. "But not letting me do my thing isn't going to help us find her faster. I was added for my skills and it would not make sense for me not to use them in our situation. You're gonna have to trust me to at least keep us alive." She could feel she wasn't getting too far on the trust front, and that she would need to change fast if they wanted off this planet. So she folded her arms behind her back as she continued walking at a much slower pace, keeping to the side away from other pedestrians. "I wanna ask you something."

"I'm all ears beautiful." He said with a cheeky smile, trying to get her in a better gently bit her lip, resisting the smile that almost spread to her lips. He may prove good at distracting her at least, a good thing for him. "I like the sound of that." She said, keeping her face as straight as possible.

Carth on the other hand, kept his cheeky smile, hoping to break her facade of still being upset with him. "Which? The fact that I'm all ears or the beautiful part?"

Mira cracked a smile and tilted her head at him "Carth are you flirting with me?" Her voice parried his smile with her own sassy tone, letting him slip past her irritation towards him. How could she stay mad at a face like that?

"Not really, just a habit. You have something you'd rather have me call you by?"

She felt her throat close suddenly. A habit? He had a habit of blatantly flirting with his soldiers when they were angry so he could get out of trouble? 'Youve gotta be fracking kidding me.' Her mind flashed for a moment with a wonderful image of tripping him in his pace and tossing him into a pair of sith soldiers that passed. Just for a laugh at his own misfortune of ever messing with her. But rather than getting them both potentially killed, she kept her flaring temper under check.

Why not mess with him back instead? "How about gorgeous? I like that better." Returning her gaze forward, she let her anger burn while continuing his little game, he'd pay for it later she was sure. Carth didn't seem to notice, making it all the more worse and harder to keep under wraps. "I might consider it but what are you going to call me in exchange?" he chuckled, blissfully amused with the conversation.

"How about handsome thug?" She muttered, not really putting much more effort into their game. "I'm partial to the first part but I prefer "Most handsome pilot in the galaxy." What do you think?" he laughed some more.

"I'll think about it." she said, stopping in front of what appeared to be a medical center. Carth could feel the temperature drop in the air around her, and fought to quickly end the topic. "Then I suppose Gorgeous will just have to do for now." he chuckeld once more, but a bit more awkwardly as he rubbed the back of his neck. "All kidding aside, I'll bet youre not going to give up on those questions of yours, are they really necessary?" he almost whined. Captain Carth Onasi was a whiner.

"Don't be such a child it's just a few questions." Mira huffed, flashing her cold blue eyes on him in a hard unamused stare. Had he not liked questions in the first place, he would have felt a bit bad for upsetting her somehow again. Instead he felt his defense slide up again against her berratement of questions. He could give answers, but he'd give hell along with them.

"Oh no, how could I resist a challenge to my manly pride huh?" He laughed, a bit harder than before. "Fine! You've made your point, interrogate at will."

Mira's eye twitched, frustration at a boiling point. Who the hell did he think he was?! Bastilla herself? He was making this mission so much harder just by being stubborn! And sassy to top it off. Subtly pinching her leg she quipped at him "Are we getting testy again Onasi?"

"I don't get testy." Carth said all too quickly. "I get angry, and if I was angry, you would know let me assure you." Her cold stare did not waver at what she took as a threat. "Let me ask you something first." he held up a hand when Mira looked about to protest "I've been going over the battle abord the Endar spire over in my head since we crashed. Somethings just don't add up for me." HE folded his arms across his chest and stood straight, the picture of a proud captain assessing one of his subordinates "Maybe you could tell me what happened, from your perspective."

Mira jerked back as if a bug flew into her face, her anger twisting into something that indulged a bit of betrayal. "Why ask me? I don't see the point." she growled, her hopes of keeping up her indifferent attitude gone. This was one step too far. No matter his rank, no matter his cautious attitude, the question was uncalled for.

"I'm just trying to figure it out. I've seen enough men loose their lives needlessly in the mandalorian wars. It's…. difficult to see it happen all over again." Mira waited, expecting more than that lame excuse. "We lost a ship and a lot of good people… for what? on the hope that jedi powers would save us somehow? Not like Bastila had enough time to act."

"I know that." Mira snorted out, feeling overwhelmed by another memory.

_"__You go I'll hold him off!" Trask yelled, charging forward just as the door closed behind him. She was too slow, running almost face first into the now sealed doors. "Damnit Trask open the doors!" She screamed, banging the hilt of her sword on the door in pure frustration, then throwing her shoulder into the solid metal, making a reverberating pain roll through her arm and down her spine. "Trask open it!" She could hear nothing but the hum of the lightsaber just on the other side of the door, the blood red blade that could easily cut through the door in front of her. The one that could so easily cut through the soldier who just sacrificed himself for her….. Swallowing hard she forced her legs to back away from the door, heading for the next one over to continue on to the escape pods. Her eyes burned and her chest trhobbed in pain at what she was doing, but in the end she knew there was no sense making his sacrafice in vain. Her personal com went off with Carth's next message, and she forced herself to focus on her escape._

She had missed some of what he said, getting caught up in the memory of her bunkmate. "Come to think of it, its more than a little surprising that you happen to be here isn't it? Just what is your position in the republic fleet anyways?"

Mira felt her stomach drop and the heat of anger roar through her body with a vengeance. It took all of what was left of her self control not to scream at him and cause a scene. Her training left her with some thought process and accounting to their situation. "Why? Are you accusing me of something?!" she snarled, taking a dangerous step towards the towering captain.

He looked a bit shocked that the small woman so boldly challenged him, even with the size comparison he considered for a moment if he really pissed her off- could she do him some damage? He had a good guess to the answer, but wasnt too ready to admit it with his ego.

"Not at all I just think it's a bit off that someone added to the crew roster last minute just happened to be one of the few survivors." He unfolded his arms, lowering his stance a bit. Thinking about what he said it sounded much worse after he had worded it. The dawning of his mistake made him take a step back, the true fury in her eyes registering with him that indeed he may have gone to far.

"Youd rather I wasnt!?" She snapped, striding right after him, The wound in her leg throbbed in protest as her muscled flexed, ready for another fight. This one for her very honor.

Carth gaped at her for a moment, thinking about where he would be if she wasn't here. Knowing him, he would have immediately started a man hunt for Bastila after he landed, without someone to take care of he wouldn't have thought to lay low. He wouldn't have nearly as many credits because he wouldn't have stepped into the dueling ring, and he didn't have the confidence to keep going back to the pazzak table on pure luck. "Don't be ridiculous!You've more than proved yourself since the crash… we wouldnt have made it this far without you but sti-"

Now he was contradicting himself. Flirting with her- messing with her head, accusing her of treason, then trying to flip his words! "Are you implying I had something to do with the crash?!" She hissed, getting as close to his face as she would muster, her hand resting on the hilt of her sword.

"No! Well… Maybe…" Mira's grip tightened And she took a breath to snap at him once more but he interrrupted quickly "Dont get me wrong. It just seems odd that someone Bastila's party specifically requested to transfer aboard happened to survive."

She could feel her whole body shake in anger, feeling a sick sense of betrayal and hurt she didn't think possible from a man she hardly knew. And yet here it was, making her feel like she would either have to kill him to release the tension in her body or make herself sick.

This was what she had to look forward to- a man with a chip shoved so far up his ass he distrusted the people he saved. logically anyone would leave someone they didnt trust to rot, or in their situation get kidnapped by the sith patrols. But he whent out of his way to save her, and now she was going to suffer for it until they found Bastila and she could get away from this slimeball.

Bastila in mind, she took a deep breath. "It doesnt make any difference. Go ahead and be paranoid." Turning on her heel, she began to stride into the medical facility. She was yanked back when he latched onto her wrist, nearly igniting her defensive tactics to put him on the floor. "I may be paranoid bu-" She ripped her arm free with quite a bit of force, having the last of this lug. "I am in pain Carth. These burns are starting to give me a headace but that wont stop me from putting you in a coma. We are supposed to be working together, I had nothing to do with the crash and as soon as we find Bastila and get into republic space I'm getting as far away from you as possible. But for now I'm not sorry youre stuck with me, because you haven't heard the last from me about those questions."

Not letting him respond, she continued on her rampage for healing, a bitter dark cloud hanging over her head.


	4. Chapter 4

The young woman took another slow sip of her drink, the ice cold liquid leaving a comforting burn down her throat, making her hum in contentment. The kolto and alcohol mixed well, she found. Rather than listen to Carth if he had anything else to say, Mira snuck out of their base as soon as he stepped into the shower, snagging a new set of fresh black form fitting clothes from the vendor in their apartment building before heading straight for the bar. Though she refused to admit it just yet, his suspicion hurt her. It had hurt her pride her honor and her feelings.

The guy had saved her life but he couldn't trust her? What kind of logic was that? She dug her teeth into her bottom lip, worrying it as she stared into the dark golden liquid in her glass and letting her mind drift.

_His large warm hand sent a comforting wave through her, he had only lightly grabbed her hip to slightly move her as they both struggled in the small space to get seated. Evacuating a ship that was going down didn't leave them time to properly get into the seats and get buckled in. "Trask?" She snapped the question at him, her jaw clenched but her eyes pleading as she looked at captain in front of her. Carth frowned, looking genuinely sorry as he shook his head before averting his gaze back to the controls while trying to buckle himself in. Mira froze for a moment, the pain rolling over her as she mourned the man who had given up his life for her. For no damn reason!_

_Had he just seen a young girl, not ready to die? Had he looked at her tanned face and seen a child looking back at him, fear and frustration in her eyes making him pity her?_

_Or had he seen someone who needed to live? Someone that the republic needed, someone who could make a change in the tide and give them a chance at surviving this mess and make it right?_

_Mira would never get to know, the man was gone and the man in this itty bitty pod with her seemed to not give two tac tails that she was tormenting herself over the death of her bunk mate that she didn't even know. Carth opened his mouth to say something to her when suddenly the escape pod rattled violently, causing her to lose her footing and crash into his chest._

_If not for the fear of her life draining the blood from her face, she may have blushed. He had such a comforting aura about him it was throwing her off and distracting her from the real danger. She pushed herself off him without looking at his face, another shudder rippled through the pod and this time she stumbled backwards into her seat. _

_"They're firing on the escape pods." Carth stated, she could easily tell he was struggling to contain the anger and fear in his voice. Though she wasn't sure which was stronger at this moment, as her attention was drawn to the belts that were not working like they should. _

_"No…" she breathed out, pushing the clips together as hard as she possibly could, her eyes widening in fear as she realized once again they weren't locking, just sliding apart again. "Damnit!" She hissed, getting jerked around in her seat and almost slipping to the floor as the pod rattled. _

_Carth seemed to finally notice her struggle "The button!" he growled out, pointing at the red button on the side of the clips to her belt and harness. "Oh for fracks sake!" Mira cried out, pushing the buttons before jamming the clips together once more, feeling her heart suddenly clench and release. The pod shook again, this time she stayed put. But the pod felt like it was being shredded from the outside, everything shaking as alarms and lights began to go off. _

_Everything was shaking, she was shaking. A glance out the view port gave way only to flame. Her heart lurched up in her throat in fear, wondering if this would be her last moments if not from the pod collapsing surely her heart would give out. A grunt from in front of her made her look at the man that had accompanied her, Carth, his wonderful dark chocolate eyes focused on the clasp that held her straps in place. It jiggled a bit more while the pod shook, and came apart with a barely audiable click. "Hey-!" Carth gasped, leaning forward as if his arms could stretch across the pod to grab her, or her harness straps. His warm comforting hands just inches too short to reach and help her now. _

_ Her hands were already locked on the two clips, struggling to get them at the right angle to snap them back into place. She glanced at him for help, sure that there were tears in her eyes from witnessing the flames outside their window. She didn't want to die like this! Not after everything she had been through, not after Trask gave his life for hers! Not. In. Space. Carth's dark eyes met her's, and he seemed almost stunned by the look on her face, or afraid, one of the two. "Pleas-" Before she could finish or pull the connectors together, the pod jerked, launching her straight up from her seat, her head slamming into the metal above her. "Mira!" Before she could respond, her sight faded and everything went silent. _

Mira felt her nose twitch, her eyes watering at the memory. There were a few other flickers that remained. Dark liquid pouring over her eyes, hot, thick. Blood most likely. It was pouring fast too. The soft voice of a frightened man, a voice that warmed her chest and made her head sing. As much sense as that made. And of course large comforting hands that danced over her head, gripped her arms and wrapped around her to carry her. One or two flickers of dark eyes watching over her, almost black with worry and concern.

Pressing her palm to her forehead, Mira tried to shake the memories from her mind. The shots and kolto that the doc had given her had helped not only the pain but helped clear her mind of the crash. And revive the weird vision she had afterwards.

The woman seemed familiar, those robes and pigtails kind of stood out. That obnoxious accent ringing in her ears with promise. For the life of her Mira could not recognize her and it only caused her frustration to rise. Mira downed the rest of her glass and paused in ordering another as she felt eyes on her back, getting closer.

Not really wanting to throw herself into another fight, but also not willing to back down, Mira let her scowl set on her face as she turned around to snap at Carth. Only finding herself slightly slipping as it wasn't Carth standing behind her but a sith soldier with a smug look on his face.

~Short update, but I wanted to get it written out and down! And a cliffy! Anyways, I promised I didn't forget about this, and I think that I might be able to get another chapter in this week too! Thank you all for being patient and please leave reviews! ~


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